Learners who wish to play sport at school will need to spend much more time behind the books than on the field.

The Northwest Department of Education, is planning to implement a minimum academic requirement for school learners to participate in school sports.

According to Elias Malindi, spokesperson for the department, from next year, an average of 80% will be required for any learner who wishes to participate in sport at school.

According to him, this drastic step has been taken to improve academic results across the province.

“Learners don’t spend enough time studying. Some learners focus only on sports and forget about their school work. We are following the example set by competitions such as the Varsity Cup which requires students to maintain an academic standard before they are allowed to play in the competition,” explained Malindi.

According to him, the requirement will be for Primary as well as High School learners. Coaches and teachers will need to include copies of report cards in the file where birth certificates and ID documents are kept.

According to Louis Jacobs, spokesperson for the NWU, this is a welcome decision which will raise the standard of student-athletes who enroll at the university.

“The NWU will support any proposal, that strives for academic excellence,” said Jacobs.

“A consulting process with different stakeholders still needs to be followed, but the department does not forsee any problems in the implementation of these new rules,” said Malindi.